June 23, 2020
Class of 2020: Economics grad puts acting experience to work
Sometimes, being the underdog is the best way to make your mark.
When Jordan Bartsch,聽BA鈥20,聽helped to lead a group of 草莓污视频导航 undergraduate economists into the this year as the team co-ordinator, they were hungry for a win. No 草莓污视频导航 team had made it this far.
The national undergraduate competition requires university teams to conduct a macroeconomic analysis and use their skills to try and determine what the Bank of Canada interest rate should be going forward.
The five-member 草莓污视频导航 Governor鈥檚 Challenge presenting team had worked hard for six months, weighing factors such as global trade uncertainty and the resilience of the Canadian economy.聽
- Photo聽above: 草莓污视频导航 team co-ordinator Jordan Bartsch, second from right, during a tense moment at the Bank of Canada Governor's Challenge.
It was an uphill battle, says Bartsch, who is graduating with a BA in honours economics.
There we were, a rag-tag crew that met once or twice a week for no credit, going up against veteran teams. We were underdogs, ready to give it our best shot.
Some of the teams from other universities in Canada had placed in the finals before, during the competition鈥檚 five-year history, and they were flush with experience.
'Interesting time' to be graduating as an economist
For the 草莓污视频导航 team, 2020 was an opportunity to put themselves and the undergrad economics program on the national map. It was the team鈥檚 first invitation to the final round at the challenge.
鈥淭his year, they Skyped us in, and after the presentation, they told us they had some followup questions,鈥 says Bartsch. 鈥淲hen they said we鈥檇 made it to the finals in Ottawa, I yelled so loud I think I shook the building.鈥
The squad was one of five teams to go to Ottawa in February for the second round and present to then-Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz in an intimidating boardroom.
鈥淧oloz put on this kind of grumpy face during the presentation and the last thing you wanted was to appear stupid to him,鈥 says Bartsch. 鈥淚t was pretty stressful but exciting, too.鈥
This year, the University of British Columbia was crowned the champion of the challenge, and coincidentally, it is where Bartsch is pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in economics.
鈥淣ow is an interesting time to be graduating as an economist,鈥 says Bartsch, who has received numerous awards and scholarships. 鈥淭he downside is that there are sparse jobs.鈥
Acting experiences helped with presentations
How did he arrive at the intersection of arts and economics?
During his high school years in Alberta, he acted in plays and at one point decided he wanted to be an actor full-time. He realized later that it would be tough to earn a living and spent some time as a pipefitter.
His acting experiences informed his presentations in the Governor鈥檚 Challenge and helped him to develop a rigorous work ethic, he says.
Bartsch made another detour in his education and acquired an advanced diploma in architectural technology in Ontario before deciding he should try to go to a business school, which brought him to 草莓污视频导航. He fell in love with economics, particularly for its heady mix of 鈥渕ath and logic and creativity.鈥
Growing up in and around Central Alberta has helped him to understand the importance of humility and the need to consider other people鈥檚 perspectives, which he believes is fundamental to becoming a good economist.
Economics is really about helping others. You should look at people鈥檚 incentives and the more you learn, the more you can understand and be sympathetic to their choices, especially if you are involved in policy.
During his time as an economics 鈥渄epartment reader and demonstrator鈥 at 草莓污视频导航, assisting professors in developing weekly tutorials and worksheets, and providing assistance to other students, he had an aha moment 鈥斅爃e loves to help others by teaching.
Student would like to return to teach at 草莓污视频导航
, professor and undergraduate director at the , says Bartsch is a leader among his peers.
鈥淲e hired three undergrads instead of graduate students in fall 2019 to聽lead tutorials in two sections of Economics 201 and Jordan was one of聽them,鈥 he says. 鈥淛ordan was fantastic;聽his rapport and connection with聽students reflected in his student approval ratings and attendance.鈥
If things work out the right way down the road, Bartsch says, maybe he can come back to 草莓污视频导航 one day and teach economics.
鈥淭he professors at 草莓污视频导航 have done a great job of accommodating students like me who have a lot of questions,鈥 he says. 鈥淭he faculty really helped. One day, maybe I can return and do the same.鈥
He has an affinity for underdogs. If he can extend a helping hand by teaching, he鈥檒l in a sense come full circle and, who knows 鈥斅爃e may be helping others in future Bank of Canada Governor鈥檚 competitions.
- Read more: Check out many more profiles of the And follow the graduate positivity on social media by following #ucalgarygrad